This Is Why You Should Avoid Cities On Bikepacking Trips - Bikepacking Paris

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Since my last Bikepacking trip with Ryan van Duzer we had been experiencing such bad weather here in Sweden that I decided to go some place warm and sunny for my autumn Bikepacking trip. So I headed down to Paris to start my journey with the end goal being the wine region of Bordeaux. Join me for this amazing Bikepacking adventure over the next 10 weeks or so.
Bike:
Kona Sutra
Bike Bags:
Ortlieb Handlebar Pack 15L
Ortlieb Frame Pack 6L
Ortlieb Seat Pack 16,5L
Clothes:
Adidas Adilette Flip Flops - amzn.to/40eKFyQ
Craft Core Enduro Jacket
2 Forclaz Merino Wool T-Shirt
Nike Mens Dri-FIT Short Sleeve Polo Shirt - amzn.to/3j2aq1w
Padded MTB Shorts
Columbia Silver Ridge Convertible Pants - amzn.to/3jalGfE
2 Pair of Socks amzn.to/40dU4H6
Merino Underwear - amzn.to/3XRU9hZ
Merino Wool Buff - amzn.to/409sYkd
Giro Fixture Mips Helmet - amzn.to/3XKHsoZ
Science In Sport Water Bottle - amzn.to/3WLLsV9
Northwave Cycling Shoes
Sunglasses
Cooking Gear:
Sea To Summit X Mug - amzn.to/3Hg7GJ1
Light My Fire Spork - amzn.to/3Dncn2J
Wine Bottle Opener ;-)
Tools:
Lezyne HV Bicycle Hand Pump - amzn.to/3lHxnJc
Park Tool VP-1Vulcanizing Patch Kit - amzn.to/409NhOC
Crankbrothers M19 Multi-Tool - amzn.to/3j0A86D
Squirt Long Lasting Dry Lube - amzn.to/3iWqYIf
CTC Plastic Bag + packaging
Inner Tube - amzn.to/3Dq1oFP
Bike Lock - amzn.to/3HHcWqs
Toiletries:
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Shaving Gel
Mach 3 Razor - amzn.to/3j2bYsm
Contact Lens Case
Travel Schampoo bottle
Camping Equipment:
Naturehike Cloud Up 2 Tent - amzn.to/3aA1MTp
Sea To Summit Collapsible Backpack - amzn.to/3RvanLP
Aegismax UL Down Sleeping Bag - amzn.to/3BVCStv
Aegismax Nano 2 Ultralight Sleeping Bag - amzn.to/3RcZcqR
Sea To Summit Reactor Insulated Sleeping Bag Liner - amzn.to/409RLVs
Nemo Tensor Insulated Sleeping Pad - amzn.to/3Y98qGC
Nabaji Microfibre Towel L - amzn.to/3Y3KDbh
Electronics
Samsung S20 - amzn.to/3Y544jR
Dji Mavic Pro Drone - amzn.to/3FKsVBk
GoPro Hero7 Black - amzn.to/3JoetTC
Canon G7X Mark II - amzn.to/3XO7lnY
Zoom H1N Recorder - amzn.to/409ewZA
Rode Smartlav+ Lavalier - amzn.to/3RcZcqR
2 Anker PowerCore 20000 mAh - amzn.to/3JpPxvg
Bag Of Cables and Extra Batteries
DISCLAIMER: This description contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! This helps support the channel and allows me to continue to make videos like this. Thank you for your support!

[@BikeTouringMike]

So I guess I was a bit grumpy there at the end. The combination of little food, bad sleep and a late start probably factored in. But I only have myself to blame. How about you, have you had similar experiences starting a Bikepacking trip and specifically riding through a major city. Would love to hear about it!

[@susanwinston4123]

Lol, I’m sometimes grumpy after traveling and that’s minus the bike ride(albeit much of the ride was beautiful 😍)…I think you did just fine!

[@primitiveairraid]

This past March I rode from Las Vegas to SW Utah and back. I built up a new adventure bike build and after riding only maybe 30 km around my hometown, I flew down with it for my trip. One thing that I will never do again is embark on a tour without FULLY testing the bike (that means testing it loaded; not just unloaded). Even though I was riding with a bikepacking setup, I was still carrying enough added weight to make an impact on bike. The ride out of the city was actually quite pleasant with great cycling infrastructure that tunneled under roadways. The problem was that my tires kept belching air under the loaded weight of my bike, and I was going to be heading out into the desert the following day. I ended up having to abort my plans to camp near the Hoover Dam and instead ride back into an urban area that had bike shops. I switched to tubes that had sealant in them, and I'm so glad that I took this additional measure because there were lots of thorns encountered, and I was able to reinflate my tires after pulling thorns quite a number of times. In addition to this lesson, I will never let my route-planning ambitions override spending at least one full day at a hotel near my starting point. This will allow for hiccups like my bike being lost at the airport for hours, or realizing that I forgot to pack something, or whatever. As awesome as it is packing in as much adventure as possible, I also like the piece of mind of having extra time to take a deep breath and start my trip in a relaxed, rested state, with no anxiety. Cheers.

[@phoffen3829]

@@primitiveairraid I don't like to start going too far after landing either. Lets you catch yourself before you do something dumb.

[@phoffen3829]

You have to load up on supplies while you know you can - like in the city. Starting off with the "lost bike" actually cost you valuable energy to make proper decisions. Now you know because you have been through it!

[@derekohalloran7856]

I had a pretty miserable time getting out of Stockholm to the south on the EV10 earlier this Summer. It lashed rain, roadworks interrupted the route, Google Maps kept directing me onto a cycleway that was cut off due to construction. Not speaking the language and on the first day cycling I struggled to make sense of the road signs, detours and town names. Eventually though I made it out, the sun came back out and I wild camped at an idyllic waterside spot in a nature reserve. It usually comes good in the end.

[@jag1870]

Dude, you didn't lose your bike, you didn't get killed riding through a big city, you had some food and water, you found lodging and an ATM. I'd say you had a good day. It didn't all work out the way you planned, but that's usually how it goes. Be safe and keep riding.

[@BikeTouringMike]

Yeah, when you're caught up in it, plus hungry and tired you feel like it was a pretty lousy day. But when I was editing the video, it looked to be a pretty good day out on the roads. But you love, you learn I guess. What I take with me from this day is that in the future I'm going to spend more time on planning how to avoid going through a city, by taking a commuter train or likewise.

[@5kyforger]

@@BikeTouringMike for me, it's usually the hunger that gets me. Not just when bikepacking but in general. Gimme food and I'm good. So, for my bikepacking trips I usually stock up on enough food and prepare well, because if everything else goes awry, at least I'm not hungry nor grumpy. 😆

[@michieljansen1737]

Lol: SO TRUE😂😂😂. Long distance cycling is all about improvisation according to circumstances. As a matter of fact it's where part of the fun is. If you want predictibilaty, better stad home😂

[@michieljansen1737]

But 'first day' is always difficult, getting into the swing of things. Better not overplan first day is my experience.

[@apriljohnson6191]

It's good to see what can go wrong on a trip - it helps us newbies prepare our maiden voyages better. Thank you for your honesty.

[@Manu68-Simracing]

As a french guy myself, i would never have considered riding a bike from Roissy airport in direction of Paris. Well done !

[@BikeTouringMike]

Well, you live, you learn I guess. Next time I'll probably take TGV instead.

[@benoitbvg2888]

Welcome to France and the only thing I can say is : being grumpy is the natural state for French people, so you adapted perfectly.

[@cappaculla]

Grumpy, rude, no sense of humour, and a complete dislike of anyone speaking English.. Other than that they are fabulous

[@louisrafaelcom]

A couple notes, as I cycled around 2000km in france over four trips this year. 1. Fountains are NOT everywhere in France. There are many places you'll find there is nothing at all, so you should be prepared to ask for water from someone you encounter. And have a backup plan. In my case, I carry purifying tablets and a water filter so in a worst case, I could take almost any water and make it drinkable. 2. Make use of bakeries. Get more than you crave at every bakery you go to, so you're prepared when this kind of thing inevitably occurs. 3. The cycling infrastructure is either 110% or 5% in France. They don't do in between, and when it sucks, cars seem to accept your presence on the road for the most part. You'll make better progress if you stick to the road than the constant interruptions that occur on the cycle lanes in urban areas. 4. Keep your head up. There better and worse days - on Friday I found myself lost on an abandoned forest path, climbing over and crawling under fallen trees. There were late nights and early mornings, but keep the bigger picture: You're blessed free time to go explore a beautiful country, and eat delicious food (most days ;) )

[@BikeTouringMike]

I quickly realised that fountains were not everywhere as I got out onto the countryside. I was able to find water pretty frequently, but as the water got lukewarm almost instantly I still kept find myself looking for the next water source.

[@keacoq]

Cemeteries are good for finding water.....

[@Scor-ah]

Awwww we all have days like that, you handled it very well ...hope you had a good sleep and the next day was much better.

[@BikeTouringMike]

Well, the next day was also a bit rough. But by Day 3 I had come into the flow and things were running smoothly!

[@mariconor242]

Par for the course, most days are great but you get the odd time when you end up with no food - especially if it's a Sunday! I always make sure to stop at boulangeries and pick up a jambon buerre and some pastries just in case I get stuck.

[@dantedorado2609]

I was expecting Paris to be a nightmare to navigate, but it actually looked quite pleasant along the Seine.

[@Zainenn]

Great transition edit there where you show "from here in Paris to hear in Bordeaux"(spelling?).

[@BikeTouringMike]

Glad you enjoyed that scene!

[@IllyaKonakov]

It’s Ablon sur Seine, not Argon sur Seine at 11:40. 😉 And a funny fact - the town on the other Seine bank (the one with that park Port aux Cerises) is Vigneux sur Seine, it’s the town where I live. That way you went on the river bank South-East from Paris to Port aux Cerises is in fact a part of the way I take from my office when I ride home by bike. If I only knew you would be here I could offer you a place for a night stop at our place!

[@BikeTouringMike]

Sorry for mixing it up. Haha, it's a small world that I would go on a bikepacking trip along your daily commute!

[@marcfloucault8629]

Bienvenue en France et bon voyage !

[@BikeTouringMike]

Merci! la France ne déçoit jamais quand il s'agit d'un bon tour à vélo!

[@hammockdweller]

The first couple of days of a bike tour are always a bit rough. You have to get used to it again. The first night of my trip this summer I stayed on a campground and there was a festival going on nearby, I didn’t get much sleep because there was noise until two o'clock and I had to get used to sleeping in a tent. Needed a lot of coffee that morning 🙂 I cycled through the Netherlands, Belgium and the north of France. It was a nice trip.

[@BikeTouringMike]

The first days are always the roughest. Plus it can take a while to fall asleep. Som many impressions. And add a festival on top of that... No wonder you needed some coffee in the morning :-)

[@kizzmitten1]

I cant imagine biking out of Paris. I got totally messed up in Dublin and I only had 15 km from that airport to my 1st stay. So, it was fun to see you get grumpy. Ha ha. Keep ride'n Mike!

[@BikeTouringMike]

It's a rare occurrence that's for sure. I typically try to stay calm, and look on the bright side of things. But I guess this time around the lack of food and sleep probably did it's thing.

[@alexmorgan3435]

This promises to be a good series as cycling in the Loire you see a lot of beautiful towns and chateaux. 10 weeks cycling in France is a dream holiday. Tip, always have some small tins of sardines or mackerel in your bags for emergencies. I fly to Malaga in Spain from the UK in 2 weeks time to catch the last of summer hopefully. Will ride around Andalusia, through the Sierra Nevada NP and visit the Alhambra in Granada. I shall be taking my Brompton which goes as checked in luggage. No need to find bike boxes nor dismantle my bike and reassemble it the other end. Ok it folds but this takes seconds. The moment you push your loaded bike out of arrivals and begin riding out the airport is fantastic every time. There is always some officious jobsworth who tries to stop you saying it is is prohibited, that you have to take an expensive taxi. Ignore them. Looking forward to your next instalment.

[@BikeTouringMike]

Instead of Sardines I might have to take the Swedish speciality Surströmming with me ;-). I can certainly relate to that feeling when you ride past all the taxi touts and feel the sense of freedom of being on your own. Have never tried touring on a Bromton, I might have to try that sometime in the future. Have a great trip!

[@susanwinston4123]

Looking forward to seeing your next installment!

[@BikeTouringMike]

See you next Sunday. Same bat time, same bat channel!

[@Deus-Too]

In a world gone crazy, it was such a pleasure to take a few moments to watch your video of your biking trip in France! Even though it was a tough day for you, I certainly enjoyed it, nevertheless. Thanks for sharing it with us! 🚴👍

[@BikeTouringMike]

Glad to be able to provide some easy watched entertainment for you!

[@ianmatlock1]

Another great video. France, I love the country, but always end up getting caught out by the fact so many places close for a large part of the day and close early at night, especially in smaller towns. But the culture, scenery and (sometimes) people make up for that.

[@brandX15]

Dude, I'm just rode Tours to Paris also in September. What an absolutely fabulously great trip along the river but especially the canals. I'll be going back next year. You cannot but have a great time, car free paths for nearly all the time. Looking forward to see your series, and probably recognise quite a few areas. Always enjoy watching your adventures and getting inspiration from it. Tusind tak.

[@jeanp4875]

September 5th was 95 degrees. It is the day I arrived and being from Seattle the heat was oppressive. My tour followed the Seine to Normandy.

[@briantruck2284]

Great episode 💯👍

[@BikeTouringMike]

Thank you Brian!

[@castle228]

Got introduced to you in Ryan's recent trip in Sweden when you joined him for a bit. Looking forward to watching more of your stuff, Mike! Cheers!

[@BikeTouringMike]

I hope you'll like the rest of the trip and some of my older trips as well. And welcome to the channel!

[@sueg2658]

You didn’t seem grumpy at all to me. I’m so happy you found a campground when you did. I hope you had a great time the following day. Thank you for sharing with us.

[@BikeTouringMike]

The trip certainly improved as the days went along. By Day 3 I was having the time of my life!

[@sueg2658]

@@BikeTouringMike That’s terrific! France is such a beautiful country. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series. Be well and Enjoy the Adventures.

[@Tongurami154]

Wow the quality of the video Is just chef’s kiss! Mike you are getting better and better at this! 7mins in and I am already in love❤

[@BikeTouringMike]

Thank you! So glad to hear this. I've literally spent every available free time I've had over the last couple of weeks editing these episodes and it fills me with so much joy to read comments like yours that you appreciate the time I've put into the videos!

[@harrygrimley4352]

A rough start but... YOUR IN PARIS!!! So cool. Your brave and adventurous spirit is commendable. Keep going. Thanks for sharing this with us.

[@BikeTouringMike]

Thanks for the encouraging words Harry!

[@livingsimplytosimplylive6817]

Your videos are always so relaxing and I enjoy the fact that you’re bringing us along for the ride

[@BikeTouringMike]

Thank you! That's exactly what aim to do with my videos.

[@Longtack55]

Im off to Berlin tomorrow by train from Basel then a day or two gawping at the sights then 12 days cycling back to Switzerland. I dislike big cities generally but do enjoy people and beautiful buildings. Bike boxes are the pits.

[@BikeTouringMike]

Have a great trip!

[@wannagobiking9071]

Hi mike,good to see you back on the bike👍 just had to laugh as you managed to find more water tap points in france in 1 episode than i have in over 20😂

[@BikeTouringMike]

In Paris they were literally everywhere. A little bit harder when I went out into the countryside as you will see in the coming videos. I only brought 2 bottles and was rarely never in any danger of running out of water. But it's such a great feeling to find a tap, when your water has gone warm in the sun. Finding cold fresh water is such a great feeling.

[@IllyaKonakov]

A little hint about water taps in France: you can almost always find a one at the cemetery. No joke! It’s a very useful fact. 😊 Otherwise it’s also possible to ask for some water in a bakery or in a bar. I mean tap water for free to fill your bottles. I did it several times and never had any issues.

[@bolleolympus]

Do not worry Mike, -you are a really good guy! Only a human.👍👍

[@PumpkinVillage]

Another good start to the tour even with the bumps in the road. That bridge was pretty narrow and the parks outstanding. Thanks for the video and take care, Al

[@BikeTouringMike]

Haha! I got a comment from one of my Patreons that speaks French telling me that you're actually supposed to lead your bike across the bridge. It felt a little sketchy going over it, but I made it ;-)

[@morty412]

Mike, love your videos and looking forward to this new series! Was just touring in France in the Spring, Started in Rotterdam, coastal route to Paris, out to Mt. San Michel, then Bordeaux and to Toulouse. I used the TER and Intercity trains for some sections. Couldn't you just have taken an RER train right from CDG airport to a stop near Orly airport? That would save some time navigating through Paris. Anyway, I am sure the trip gets better!

[@BikeTouringMike]

You live, you learn I guess. That's probably what I should have done, and will definitely have that in mind for the next time I have to go through a big city like Paris. Glad you enjoyed the video and hope you'll like the rest of the series!

[@pertzian.sounds]

Finally 4K. Thank you :)

[@katherinefisher6847]

From my view sitting on a couch, your day looked pretty nice! Xcept for no dinner at the end. I enjoyed following you with Ryan through Sweden. In this video I kept hearing "Ole, Ole, Ole" when you rode thru underpasses. I'm looking forward to the rest of your trip. Take care!

[@BikeTouringMike]

Thank you Katherine! Well, it can only get better from here as they say. If you found me through Ryan, welcome to the channel!

[@mhe8545]

So not so bad. 50 miles. And your bike arrived in one piece. What would be bad is getting hit by a car in traffic. So you did just fine. I think I would take a taxi from the airport to a better place to get started. I would always take at least 2 freeze dried meals for situations like this and of course coffee. Love your adventurous attitude. You keep a great attitude even when it is tough!

[@BikeTouringMike]

In hindsight I should have taken a commuter train or maybe a taxi, to get through Paris. And I also always bring at least one or two freeze dried meals, but on this bikepacking trip I decided to go stoveless.

[@DGAFORLIFE]

Thanks to Ryan I am now a sub for your channel :)

[@BikeTouringMike]

Welcome to the channel!

[@bobette00]

I was there this time last year! Except I flew from Canada, so I knew I wanted a hotel to get over my jetlag. I also had a bike bag which was a bit of a nightmare (a packed train to the city and stairs everywhere in the metro). Finding food was a constant battle throughout my trip so I overstocked when I could. Hope you have better weather than I did!

[@BikeTouringMike]

Well, I had pretty minimal space for food, so I could just shop for the food that I would eat that specific meal. The weather was great on my trip, except for the heat wave.

[@myoldtractorshed]

Thank you

[@BikeTouringMike]

Glad you enjoyed the video. Thank you for taking your time to leave a comment!

[@myoldtractorshed]

@@BikeTouringMike I am fully aware how a simple little comment helps any channel grow so I try just to say thank you and it is sad that more folks don't do the same.

[@BikeTouringMike]

Thanks for the help. I really want this first one to reach a wide audience, it usually helps the coming videos as well.

[@streglof]

I bought the exact same t-shirt

[@BikeTouringMike]

Haha, I borgat two of these and just switch between them. I love that t-shirt!

[@mattmurphy24]

Frankly, I like bike touring channels where they talk about the frustrations. It was clear there were a few challenges getting to the correct trail, food and accommodations. Check out Yukon Rasputin's Trip across the USA. Its not all roses. Frances's infrastructure for bikes seems great in comparison to Urban areas here in the USA. My wife is Finnish, so I know the Nordic infrastructure is the top for urban areas.

[@BikeTouringMike]

I think it's important to not only show the sunshine and rainbows of bike touring but to also show when times are a bit tough.

[@edlaws6867]

Hej Mike, looking back not a bad first day really. At least you didn’t get your panniers stolen by a bear! Eurovelo 3 looks like a wonderful route through a wonderful country. I’m expecting lots of red wine and hanging around outside massage parlours. Can’t wait for the next video, probably going to get hot for you. Much love to the family, Ed

[@BikeTouringMike]

Sorry for not being able to get back to you until now Ed, been super busy at the editing bay, so it sometimes takes a couple of days to catch up on all the comments. Well, lots of wine I can promise, the other one maybe not as much ;-) Take care!

[@chrisbailey2861]

Wholly cow....you RODE out of Charles de Gaulle airport. We had a hard time driving out of that airport. Lol!!!! Thanks for bringing us along!!!!

[@BikeTouringMike]

I took a little bit of planning, but I was able to piece together how to do it. I was assembling my bike outside of Terminal 1, and just looking at the traffic outside I was glad that I had put in the hours of planning. The trick was to get to Terminal 3 where the traffic isn't as bad. And from there on, I mainly just followed smaller roads until I got to the Eurovelo 3.

[@hotzeplotz83]

Thank you for your lovely video. Just arrived in Paris after a week pf cycling in France and I likes it alot. Unfortunately I don’t agree when it cones to fountains or watertaps-it was a real problem for me finding any drinkable water depait cycling next to rivers and canals a little of the time. I hope you have a better experience! I find it though a bit cynic when you talk about the bottle being bad for the environment after completing a flight. You could waste many thousand bottles of water before coming close to the ecological impact of a single short-haul flight! That’s why I stopped flying at all a few years ago and am using only trains and my bike of course. If you are concerned about the environment too you should maybe consider this too. I wish you all the best and many nice trips to come!

[@alexmorgan3435]

Sometimes flying is the only option.

[@BikeTouringMike]

I can relate to the cynicism, and I love to travel in an environmentally friendly way, but I still have to be realistic about it and look at where I live. It would probably take me about 3 days to get down to France, plus up where I live we don't even have trains running past our city. I don't know if you know where I live (Skellefteå), but it's above Reykjavik, Iceland and on the same latitude as Fairbanks, Alaska. And it's about 3000 km away from Paris. To put it in perspective, my city is about the same distance from Paris as Istanbul is. It's pretty remote. But I am proud of the fact that I took trains + buses on my trip to the North Cape last year. Took me about 24 hours there and 36 hours back ;-)

[@WheelsonaBike]

Loire Valley, can't wait to see it as you cycle along. I thought your day 1 was great - you experienced a lot more, maybe more frustration as well, but I thought you had a very productive day one. Some fails and already lessons learned! Also, what a great tent setup technique you have! 😉 Wish my tent did that.

[@BikeTouringMike]

The Loire Vally surely lived up to the hype, I will reach in in Episode 3. Looking back on it, it seemed like I had a pretty good day, but being in the middle of it I was quite frustrated. Probably the lack of food and sleep he'd a lot to do with it. And sometimes it's easy to film the good moments and forget to capture the bad times. And I think that's the case here. I was so sick and tired of all the red lights in the second half of the day that I didn't bother hitting record on the camera.

[@andyjsmallwood]

Hey Mike, thanks for sharing the ups and downs of bicycle touring. Keep it real my friend. By the way, is there a particular reason why you used a bike box and not a clear plastic bag as in previous tours?

[@BikeTouringMike]

I don't know if you noticed during the video, but I did actually bring the plastic bag (stored under my seat bag). I uses it for the trip back home. The reason is that I've used it for so many trips now and I really need to replace it with a new one. But they are pretty hard to get hold of. And since this one has a lot of wear and tear, I figured I would use a bike box on the way down and save the bag for the return trip.

[@alethearobinson8132]

Thank you for taking the time to video, edit and share your adventure. Curious. In this video you speak English. Do you also do another in Swedish?

[@BikeTouringMike]

Thanks for appreciating the effort! I've done all my videos in English, so far for two reasons. To reach a much larger audience and the fact that bikepacking historically hasn't been that popular in Sweden. But it has grown a lot in the last year or two, so I'm actually thinking about starting a second channel in Swedish. But mostly just practical tips and tricks and so on. I'm thinking that filming in two languages when I'm out on a bikepacking trip might be a bit overwhelming. Plus Swedes ability to understand English is quite good, so I guess most Swedes understand when I'm saying in English quite well.

[@gogorobandles]

We watched this episode with much interest as we just finished cycling through Paris a couple of days ago (in the opposite direction) and can relate to your grumpyness - although you didnt seem grumpy😂 Looking forward to the rest of the series.

[@BikeTouringMike]

Thanks! Still have to go through Paris once more in the last Episode of this series, (spoiler alert!) in the pouring rain I might add. Haven't gotten to edit that footage yet, so I don't really remember how I reacted but I might have overreacted a bit in this one due to the lack of sleep, and lack of food.

[@gogorobandles]

@@BikeTouringMike lack of sleep will do that to you. 🙂

[@nickisauer9626]

Great stuff. Looks amazing. Like your simple bike. Easy to maintain and fix if anything goes wrong.

[@BikeTouringMike]

Thank you! Yeah, it's a really hassle free bike. Mechanical disc brakes might seem ancient, but I can fix and adjust them by myself when I'm out on a tour, without having to go to a bike shop. In France where bike shops are a plenty it might not be that important, but it definitely is up here in Scandinavia where the cities are far apart.

[@brentjennings3267]

Hi Mike. Sorry about your first day. I experience the same first day stuff when going on a long trip far away from home. As my cousin Phil says "What are you going to do." But by the second day it just gets better. My family always ask, as they sit on their couch, "Why do you do this?" My answer, as I do out the door, is "The adventure and fresh air". Ride on my friend and thanks for all sharing all your great adventures. I might be bold to suggest your next adventure .......... the western United States!!

[@BikeTouringMike]

That is definitely on my bucket list, just need to find some time to do it. It's quite the trip from where I live, and I really don't want to rush through it once there. But some day...

[@SurpriseMeJT]

I'm a cyclist that lives in Paris and I can acknowledge that leaving the dense urban zone of Paris takes around an hour before you can feel like you can pedal without having to stop every few seconds. It might take less time if you really know the roads and maybe stay on busier roads, but I tend to avoid that because it's stressful because it's more dangerous with cars being so close to you.

[@BikeTouringMike]

I think it's probably about the same in every major city. I actually think Paris had a pretty nice cycling infrastructure compared to Stockholm at least. But the city is very widespread and it seemed like it would never end. Now I have ridden through Paris (twice), I'm thinking I might take a TGV next time. But I love Paris I will definitely come back either as a "normal" tourist or with my bike in the future.

[@RolandCats]

Hey dear Mike! It's the worst and toughest days that stick with you, that you remember most in retrospect. They build character. I'm thrilled to see the future episodes of your trip. One question: how do you like the bikepacking bags on your Sutra compared to the panier set up? I imagine it's lighter, but the accessibility of items is a bit more troublesome.

[@BikeTouringMike]

I find it somewhat more time consuming in the morning packing up everything. But throughout the day I rarely go looking for things in the bags. The things I'm going to need throughout the day, such as rain jacket, collapsible backpack, bike lock I store in specific places so I can access them quickly. And I have small panniers on the front fork that are pretty easy to open and close.

[@bjornotter4298]

Toppen! Det gick ju bra, inget regn där i alla fall. 👍🏻

[@BikeTouringMike]

Nä, fördelen med att ha plågat sig genom sjukt varma dagar som jag hade, åtminstone i början av denna resa (det var typ 35C varje dag), är att det färgerna blir väldigt bra när man ska redigera ihop filmen. Men, spoiler alert, det kommer regn längre fram...

[@goldenstardust]

Top video Mike! You have taken on some great tips from Ryan which is evident in the quality of this edit 👍

[@BikeTouringMike]

Well, he is Yoda and I am Luke ;-)

[@RedHeadAgent]

I'm looking forward to seeing the next episode of your big adventure, Mike. You're in one of my favorite countries. (If it were me, I would have spent the night in Paris). Take care.

[@BikeTouringMike]

I've been to Paris lots of times before, and I would have loved to spend a couple of days there. But I was on a tight schedule plus bringing the bike into a hotel always creates a bunch of problems. Take care Diana!

[@mofmanp8874]

Do you like the bikepacking style bags over panniers?

[@BikeTouringMike]

I like both setups. It really depends on what type of adventure I'm looking to do. As you're gonna see in later episodes of this trip I was happy that I went with the bikepacking bags, since I found myself riding some gnarly single track sections where panniers would have been a nightmare. But in general I'm seeing more and more benefits of using Bikepacking bags over classical panniers.

[@Jamie.S.]

@@BikeTouringMike Hi Mike, I'd be really interested in your overall experience with the difference between using a bike packing set up and panniers in a future video. Particularly a comparison or your views on how the bike handles with each set up. Personally I haven't had a great experience with rear panniers on my gravel bike, it just feels like I'm riding a wet noodle, but with a bike packing set up it's much better. Trouble is I can't carry as much with the bike packing set up. I've noticed quite a few bike packers/ biker tourers have a front bias set up, with small panniers on the fork and bike packing saddle bag on the back. I might try this next and see how it goes. How did you bike feel to ride with the full large rear pannier set up on your Tuscany trip? Anyway great video as always. Have a good one. 🙂

[@bjornjensen3382]

Tjena Micke Jag har kollat en del på dina videos. Blir mycket inspirerad 😊 Gillar din cykel och utrustnings videor också 👍🏻 Min fru och jag är riktigt sugna på att biketoura nästa vår och sommar. Vi kollar på cykel och utrustning nu. Hittade en cykel som heter Thorn. Nått du känner? Begagnad lär det bli iaf. Vi bor i Skåne. Liten by som heter Stehag. Har även bott i Sveg och kan allt om myggor nu 😉 Ser fram emot resten av Frankrike turen. Happy trials/Björn

[@BikeTouringMike]

Hej Björn! Ledsen att det tog mig en vecka att svara. Men jag har supermycket att hinna med nu när jag sitter och redigerar på kvällarna, så ibland släpar jag efter med att svara lite. Jag har aldrig hört talats om det märket tyvärr. Vet du vad den är gjord av för material? Och vad har ni för cyklar nu? Ofta kan man ha rätt bra lämpade cyklar utan att man vet om det. Kul att höras!

[@bjornjensen3382]

@@BikeTouringMike Tja, Thorn är av kalldraget stål. Jobbat i stål branschen i många år så material kan jag. Den har även Rohloff växel system om du känner det? Dock blev cykeln såld tyvärr. Ska leta vidare. Hyfsad svårt hitta stålram. Mycket aluminium! Vi ska ju inte jorden runt så det kan räcka. Kattegattleden blir nog första verkar det som. Det har frugan bestämd 😎😬 Vi har vanliga stadscyklar nu. Inget för lite längre sträckor. Sen har jag en Merida landsvägscykel som jag motionerar på. Krångligt det med att hitta rätt cyklar 🫣 Ska ta en kopp morgonkaffe nu och kolla på din senaste film. Hörs 😃/Björn

[@helendale7668]

Coming out of Paris along the Seine is better on the right bank rather than the left bank, which is really a mess.

[@BikeTouringMike]

Good to know!

[@marcinkwiatkowski9926]

Hi, Mike! Looking forward to watching tge rest of this trip 🙂 Are you done with using a racks+panniers set up? I went to a trip with bikepacking bags this summer and packing them in the mornings was such a chore 🫤

[@BikeTouringMike]

I'm not done with the panniers yet. I just went with bikepackings bags this time around. And I'm glad I did. Turned out there was some sections with single track that my panniers wouldn't have enjoyed. I find it somewhat more time consuming in the morning packing up everything. But throughout the day I rarely go looking for things in the bags. The things I'm going to need throughout the day, such as rain jacket, collapsible backpack, bike lock I store in specific places so I can access them quickly. And I have small panniers on the front fork that are pretty easy to open and close.

[@MrCyclist]

Hi Mike, it is great to see you back on the bike. No disrespect but your southern European trips are more interesting to watch. I missed them.

[@BikeTouringMike]

Non taken. That's interesting. By southern Europe do you mean Italy and Spain? Can you explain more what you find more interesting about them. I'm just gathering all the feedback I can for planning where to go in the future.

[@MrCyclist]

@@BikeTouringMike Yes, Italy, Spain, Portugal and France. We get a mixture of rural and urban. In Sweden and Norway they are purely rural, no people nor buildings. I love Nature but not the whole video. I tour and visit these countries by bike for these very reasons. Try the Algarve, one of my favourite places.

[@haakonchristensen2880]

Flott video. Blir moro å følge med videre👍

[@BikeTouringMike]

Tusen takk Haakon!

[@carloszenteno]

Very good start Mike, will be following from afar. Thanks.

[@BikeTouringMike]

Glad you enjoyed following along Carlos!

[@alirezafazeli8222]

Perfect.

[@robinlemoing6694]

Hi Mike! I'm living just next to Port au Cerise where you stopped, so funny to see! We think the same about our bike facilities, it's a shame to give this experience to visitors, we're far behind. And fun fact, I bought the Kona bike due to your good review, so thanks :)

[@BikeTouringMike]

It's a small world after all! Hope you enjoy your bike!

[@rabh6746]

Its a shame your trip got off to a bad start Mike but hopefully it will get much better, it was still a very enjoyable video 👍At least the weather was great, unlike Sweden and Scotland😉

[@BikeTouringMike]

Yeah, looking back on it it looked lovely, but there and then I was pretty miserable in the evening. Probably a lot due to not eating and sleeping enough. But that's my own fault.

[@dieterhausl5268]

Great Tour!!! What did. you do with your bike Box in Paris! Were there large thrash cans of have you cutted the Box?

[@BikeTouringMike]

Well, I'm not proud of it, but I just ditched the box at the airport. I wish there was some way to store a bike box at the airport for a small fee. That would solve a lot of problems for a lot of people.

[@Morningcycles]

Less than 3 minutes into the video and you confirmed for me I made the right choice to pick up my Brompton tomorrow for traveling! I do not want to deal with bike boxes!

[@BikeTouringMike]

Flying with a bike is probably the worst aspect of bikepacking for me. It can cause a lot of stress and anxiety. I'm sure taking a Brompton instead takes a lot of those factors out of the equation.

[@RoadyPacking-CyclingAdventures]

I feel your pain dude, going through citys as a cyclist, let alone fully loaded, is a right pain sometimes. Looking forward to seeing the cool route next episode ;-)

[@Zainenn]

Hey Michael! Found your channel through Ryan.

[@BikeTouringMike]

Welcome to my channel! I am so thankful that Ryan took me along on his trip in Sweden. Both since had so much fun along the way and the fact that he did such a great job introducing me to his audience. He's a great guy!

[@gregsaga682]

Fin video! Har du cyklat Kattegattleden, Sydkustleden eller Sydostleden? Mycket trevliga!

[@BikeTouringMike]

Tackar! Nej, jag har ju inte det. Jag har hört mycket bra om Kattegattleden iallafall och har väl tänkt cykla den någon gång. Men som du vet är Sverige ett avlångt land, och jag bor typ 150 mil bort så det är lite omständigt att ta sig dit ner.

[@MarTro80]

Great videos Mike. Found you through Duzer. Very similar and superb quality work. One question. What did you do with your bike box? Did you ship it to the other airport? Did you buy a new bike box for traveling home? This is one of the big question I have after watching all these bikepacking videos. Doesnt seem to be a good logical way of doing that. Wish it was an option on airports for them to store your bikebox for your return flight.

[@Randomisrory]

Great video mate. Just wondering what you did with your cardboard box and how to travel back ? Bike shop before you head to airport?

[@BikeTouringMike]

Well, I'm not proud of it, but I just ditched the box at the airport. I don't know if you noticed throughout the video, but there's a plastic thing strapped to the under side of my seat pack. That's what I'm using to transport my bike back home again. It's called a CTC plastic bike bag. And I've used it dozens of times. I'll show you more how I use it in the last video in this series, but there are older videos where I use it if you're intrested. I think the the first and last episode in my Spain trip shows it. Plus I've made a dedicated video about the CTC bag as well. I wish there was some way to store a bike box at the airport for a small fee. That would solve a lot of problems for a lot of people.

[@Randomisrory]

Yes it definitely would. I just wondered how it all worked when flying with a bike. 🚲 👍

[@upwastoid]

lol nice to see the contrast between crazy ass ryan van duzer and calmer Scandinavians. I often wonder how much of the mix of history/geography separates each European country and Americans.

[@BikeTouringMike]

Haha, Ryan's great! But I guess I'm a bit more mellow. And I come from the north of Sweden, which here in Sweden is considered to be inhabited by low key people that tend not to speak that much. ;-)

[@upwastoid]

@@BikeTouringMike lol fair enough. Personally I think the cold humbles us, but I guess any adversity would do the same.

[@ermusas1]

I did it in may, but I went straight through the center of town, was a beautiful and easy ride.

[@BikeTouringMike]

I love Paris, it's a wonderful and beautiful city. I was probably grumpy at the end due to the lack of food and sleep.

[@ermusas1]

Have you done the velo 6 ? On the Loire, its fantastic , went from Nevers to the Atlantic, passing Orleans Tours and Nantes. You find everything on that route@@BikeTouringMike

[@BikeTouringMike]

As you will see in a couple of weeks from now, I followed the Loire for a couple of days. And it was like you say fantastic. Going back and doing the whole Loire Valley Trail is high on my list now.

[@Lepercurtidoo]

Nice video as always 👍 Just one question, you went bike touring in France before so you knew beforehand that supermarkets closes at 8pm generally and the opening hours of restaurants right ?

[@BikeTouringMike]

Yeah, I should probably have known that. But a lot of planning goes into a trip like this and sometimes you forget about the small things. I guess I' a bit spoiled living in Sweden where supermarkets are open all time basically.

[@petergilbert72]

Interested to know whether you considered leaving your bike at home and hiring one at the Loire? Would cut out most of the logistical issues. And would make low impact travel a lot easier (trains not planes).

[@BikeTouringMike]

Well, I would still have to take a plane sadly due to the fact that I live almost 3000 km away. To put it in perspective, my city is about the same distance from Paris as Istanbul is. I love to travel in an environmentally friendly way, but I still have to be realistic about it and look at where I live. It would probably take me about 3 days to get down to France, plus up where I live we don't even have trains running past our city. It's pretty remote. But I am proud of the fact that I took trains + buses on my trip to the North Cape last year. Took me about 24 hours there and 36 hours back ;-)

[@petergilbert72]

@@BikeTouringMike I suppose I found the statement in the video that the availability of public water taps avoided use of plastic bottles (a good thing of course) was at odds with the hugely bigger carbon emissions of the journey itself. But each of us has to arrive at our own decision as to how we weigh up the necessity of an action vs. its climate impact, and that will vary from person to person as realisations unfold.

[@drill_fiend1097]

Honestly it's still better thanz say, going through Chicago or Houston on a bike.

[@hansfiers4837]

Thanks Mike, great video again. I'm always looking forward to see the next one.

[@BikeTouringMike]

Glad you enjoyed the video Hans! Great name by the way, one of my sons has the same name as his middle name.

[@TouringTony]

Beautiful ride. Just a couple of questions: 1) You always use CTC bags before and even did a video on it. Do you not like them anymore? 2) Is there a way to turn off your subtitles? Hope the rest of your trip was happier. Looking forward to watching the rest of your trip

[@doug1219]

May I ask what you did with your bike box at the airport? I assume you found somewhere to store it so you can pack up for the flight home, but I'm curious how that works.

[@BikeTouringMike]

Haha, I just answered that exact same question, but in Swedish, about 5 minutes ago. Well, I'm not proud of it, but I just ditched the box at the airport. I don't know if you noticed throughout the video, but there's a plastic thing strapped to the under side of my seat pack. That's what I'm using to transport my bike back home again. It's called a CTC plastic bike bag. And I've used it dozens of times. I'll show you more how I use it in the last video in this series, but there are older videos where I use it if you're intrested. I think the the first and last episode in my Spain trip shows it. Plus I've made a dedicated video about the CTC bag as well. I wish there was some way to store a bike box at the airport for a small fee. That would solve a lot of problems for a lot of people.

[@almeidaaaandre]

Hey! Another trip, great video! In France did you need to book the camping sites in advance?

[@BikeTouringMike]

No, I didn't book a single one. I just showed up. But then again I went there in September so it's kind of low season. The only place where I was a bit afraid that it would be fully booked was the last evening just outside Bordeaux, since there was the Rugby World Cup going on over there. But I checked their website the night before and it looked to be ok. When traveling with only a bike and a small tent, most campgrounds are pretty helpful to find you a spot. Over the years I've learned that if you're just curates and explain that you only need a small space for your tent they will ba able to squeeze you in. Hey, it's more money for them right?

[@francoismychannel9114]

Welcome to France, the eurovelo routes are a great way to see Europe and gain weight at the same time… whatch the croissants.. lol I am curious abput your travel box, do you store it in the airport or dispose of it and find a new one upon return? Cheers

[@Jane-ms9ky]

Would the foldable bike a better idea to get on the ✈️& easy to carry in the City like Paris ?

[@BikeTouringMike]

Probably. But later on along this trip a foldable bike would have been a worse choice, since there are singletrack and gravel further on.

[@fiorum1]

Great tour Mike as usual! Very interesting for me as planning biking to Paris starting from Switzerland. Just a quick one: what is the wheels set up you have (rims and hubs)? I see it should be a 36 holes., correct? And the groupset?

[@BikeTouringMike]

I don't know exactly what the rims are called. The bike is unfortunately stored away in the shed over winter now, so I can't easily go and and check either. But it has 36 spokes, that I know for sure. And the groups is Shimano Deore.

[@fiorum1]

Thanks Mike! Keep biking 😅

[@Salamasami]

Hey Mike! What are those things called that you use to attach those Ortlieb panniers to your bike's fork? Im planning on buying those bags but im not so interested buying a front rack. Thx!

[@lloydslichenmyer]

Hey Mike, are you done flying the bike with CTC plastic bag? I am flying for the first time with my bike and have narrowed down to the ctc bag due to portablility and space in panniers. Also curious if you have bought one in Spain before and what stores carry them

[@anderscastenhammar6483]

Snyggt 😊👍. Riktigt bra produktion också. Du har ingen komoot profil man kan följa ?

[@BikeTouringMike]

Nej, tyvärr. Mycket grundar sig i att min Garmin är så gammal, så att jag aldrig orkar lägga upp på Strava/Komoot. Men jag ska försöka fixa en ny till nästa år, och då ska jag börja lägga upp rutter.

[@george.stefanescu99]

Hej Mike! We are looking forward to the next one, France for sure is a great country for bikepaking. When I took my bike by plane I had some problems... I was wondering how did you pack your bike ? Looks like your rear wheel is still attached on the frame, right ? also did you use some foam for your fork or any materials ? tack !

[@BikeTouringMike]

Hopefully I'll be able to do a video about how I pack everything. It's a little bit easier to show that tell I guess. But I remove my front wheel, turn the handlebar, remove the pedals and let out most of the air (not all) from the tires. That's all. Guess I've been lucky so far. What happened to your bike? Love your channel icon, by the way. Digging the red sommarstuga and the ice bath!

[@george.stefanescu99]

@@BikeTouringMike Haha Mike ! Jag gillar Sverige, tack! The pic is from Borlange :D ... I am looking forward for that video, I've watched your video about packing your bike in a plastic bag, but using a bike box is totally different.... When I took my bike, I removed both wheels and my bike crank touched the box, the guys from the airport pushed my bike and the crank made a hole inside of the box, after some time 4 teeth were flat because the bike crank touched the ground... I think this is not be possible if you keep the rear wheel on your frame, I will try this the next time ! THANKS for your videos and tips, inspired me to start my own adventures in your lovely country !❤🇸🇪

[@anasmrabet7502]

Bonjour Mike, je ne vois pas pourquoi vous avez choisi de traverser Paris pour aller enfin vers la banlieue sud est ? vous avez allonger trop votre chemin et vous avez perdu trop de temps, apartir de l'aéroport il fallait passer par la banlieue est nord via Noisy-le-Grand puis direction banlieue est Sud.....

[@BikeTouringMike]

Je viens de suivre l'Eurovelo ou la Scndiberique. Je sais, avec le recul, j'aurais probablement dû éviter Paris et prendre un TGV à la place. Mais je suppose que j’ai vu cela comme un défi.

[@apriljohnson6191]

What did you do with the bike box? Did you recycle it?

[@BikeTouringMike]

I'm not proud of it, but I just ditched the box at the airport. I don't know if you noticed throughout the video, but there's a plastic thing strapped to the under side of my seat pack. That's what I'm using to transport my bike back home again. It's called a CTC plastic bike bag. And I've used it dozens of times. I'll show you more how I use it in the last video in this series, but there are older videos where I use it if you're intrested. I think the the first and last episode in my Spain trip shows it. Plus I've made a dedicated video about the CTC bag as well. I wish there was some way to store a bike box at the airport for a small fee. That would solve a lot of problems for a lot of people.

[@alphaqubec2508]

Hej! Vad gör du med kartongen som Cykeln kom med efter att du packat upp den? Trevlig resa!

[@BikeTouringMike]

Inte stolt över att säga det, men jag bara lämnar den på flygplatsen. Jag har en plastpåse som jag använder för hemfärden. Kommer att visa i det sista avsnittet hur gör för att få med cykeln i den.

[@alphaqubec2508]

@@BikeTouringMike ja då förstår jag! Tänkte du låste in kartongen i nått skåp. Smidigt iaf 👍 har varit sugen att köpa mig en cykelväska själv, men inte hittat någon än till överkomligt pris. Ha det bra!

[@leojonkers3181]

Flying is also bad for the enveriment, not only plastic waterbottels. Do not understand the title of this vlog, Paris is a beautiful city and they made great progress for people driving bicycles.

[@jayandreas1131]

12:14 to be fair, the signs said you shouldn’t ride your bike here.

[@myronas]

No credit card, no English at the camping? Jesus Christ. 😮 This summer I cycled from Belgium to Lille. As I was approching the city, I had to stop to every bicycle traffic light. Every single one of them. And wait over 1-2 minutes to turn green. Obviously they are not set up in order to have a constant cycling pace. Fail 👎

[@BikeTouringMike]

That's French campgrounds for you! But after a couple of days you sort of get into the groove, and learn the few phrases that you need to book a stay. I find it somewhat charming, and a bit exotic coming from Sweden where everyone's fluent in English.

[@pettermyris3462]

Det er ikke ahltid ting går som planlagt

[@BikeTouringMike]

Nä, ibland går det inte som man har tänkt sig. Men jag tycker att det är viktigt att visa de stunderna också!

[@pettermyris3462]

@@BikeTouringMike ja det er jeg enig med deg i Jeg synes det ofte ikke går etter planen , men det er jo en del,av opplevelsen , jeg har sett allle episodene fra du var i Frankrike sist gang , det blir mange og lange dager på sykkelen , rekker kroppen og hente seg igjen til dagen etterpå ?

[@pedallinraw]

🙂🥳👍🏻